Re: Gastronomy of the eye

: : "thus in presenting to their readers a 'gastronomy of the eye' largely made up of 'the odd, the exotic and the trivial', these newspapers were expeditiously redefining what could and should qualify as news for 'ordinary people' in the context of their daily lives"

: : Would somebody tell me what "gastronomy of the eye" means?

: Short answer, I don't know. There's "feast for the eye." Something really great to look at. But feast and gastronomy (see Merriam-Webster - the art or science of good eating;culinary customs or style ) don't have parallel meanings.

Probably a reference to a quote from Honoré de Balzac, Physiologie du mariage, 1829
"Oh! to wander in Paris! adorable and delightful existence! Strolling is a science, the gastronomy of the eye To wander is to do nothing, to stroll is to live."